Mauricio Umansky revealed that he competed through several Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test challenges with a cracked rib before the injury ultimately led him to leave the course.
The Buying Beverly Hills star suffered the injury while boxing former NBA player Matt Barnes during the October 8 episode. Although the punch left him hurt, Umansky continued competing until an upcoming chemical warfare exercise made him reconsider the risks.
Mauricio Umansky continued competing despite suffering a cracked rib
Umansky explained that Barnes landed the damaging hit during their boxing challenge. “I took a hard punch to the rib,” he told Page Six’s Virtual Reali-Tea. “He cracked my rib.”
Despite the injury, Umansky completed a “couple more challenges.” However, he knew something felt more serious than a simple bruise. That concern became more pressing when contestants prepared for the chemical warfare exercise, which he expected to put significant strain on his lungs.
“I knew that that was a very intense lung challenge,” Umansky said. He worried that the heavy coughing involved could worsen his cracked rib and potentially create a more serious problem. “I was really fearful of hacking up a lung with the cracked rib and then puncturing a lung,” he explained.
That fear ultimately convinced Umansky to voluntarily withdraw from Special Forces. He then returned home and began a lengthy recovery process. According to the reality star, healing took around 10 weeks, and even his flight home caused considerable discomfort.
“Traveling home on the airplane with the cracked rib was really painful,” he recalled. Umansky has since fully recovered and returned to working out.
Leaving the show also meant leaving his daughter, Alexia Umansky, behind on the course. Still, he felt comfortable knowing actors David Charvet and Oliver Hudson had agreed to look out for her.
Umansky later updated his estranged wife, Kyle Richards, about both his departure and Alexia’s progress. He assured Richards that their daughter was doing well despite the unexpectedly difficult conditions.
“I think that gave her peace knowing that she was in a good place and happy,” Umansky said. He added that Alexia had been confronting major fears and showing courage throughout the experience.
